


Lost in the Night

by TommysIdiosyncrasy



Series: The Mind's Silence [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blind Character, Blindness, Hurt Merlin, Hurt/Comfort, I write too much angst, M/M, Magic, Memory Loss, Post Season 3 but before Season 4, Protective Arthur, Protective Knights of the Round Table, Self-Indulgent, Someone stop me, Temporary Kidnapping, i need to stop, this is all just for my personal enjoyment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 19:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TommysIdiosyncrasy/pseuds/TommysIdiosyncrasy
Summary: (( Set between Season 3 and 4 ))Merlin's dragged on another hunting trip with Arthur and the knights only to be snatched away under everyone's noses, leaving behind a very distressed group of friends





	Lost in the Night

Darkness settled over the hunting party traveling through the vast forests of Camelot, their horses trotting to stops and knights swung off their mounts. They were planning on returning by sunset, but Arthur had refused to listen to Merlin's suggestions of going back, insisting he wanted to stay out only a moment longer. Now, Merlin was sulking along the edges of their hastily made camp and glumly gathered some ingredients he'd packed to make a stew. He wasn't upset that he would be camping on the cold ground again, it wasn't the first time. It was the fact that Arthur had blatantly ignored Merlin whenever he'd suggested turning around heading back before nightfall. 

Sighing, he ladled the homemade stew into various blows for the knights with them. He wasn't particularly hungry, so when he scraped the bottom of the pot he simply handed out the small dinner and quietly walked to a nearby stream to scrub the dish. He was tired, grumpy and just wanted to go to sleep. They had been following this stream for a little while, an injured deer had been scraping along the bank for a while. Merlin had pitied the animal, it was obviously in pain. Of course, his opinion didn't matter, especially not when it was against the esteemed Knights of the Round Table. Gwaine got no small amount of joy from making this point known to Merlin.

Merlin hopped down so he was sitting on this rock by the edge of the water, yawning. He knew he should be getting started on cleaning the pot, but his eyelids were starting to slip close without his permission. Head dipping down to his chin, Merlin tipped sideways and sprawled onto the grass. 

The soft sound of a cloak slithering over grass and fallen leaves could be heard as a dark figure slinked from the shelter of the trees. The thing, unclear if they were man or beast, crept towards the slumbering man and crouched by his face. In the dark, white teeth flashed under a hood as a malicious grin spread across their face. Pale hands reached out and touched one of Merlin's defined cheekbones, almost tenderly caressing the skin. 

" _Mer_ lin. What's taking so lo-" Arthur stomped closer through the undergrowth but froze when he saw the dark shape crouching over his sleeping manservant. It took him a moment to recover but he whipped out his sword quickly, the blade gleaming as he glared at the mysterious silhouette. "Who are you?" he demanded. 

Immediately, the figure snatched Merlin's limp body up into their arms and sprinted away unnaturally fast. A strangled shout of surprise left Arthur, his feet moving automatically to follow. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, spurring him on faster as fear and confusion clouded his head. He could see the cloaked person moving swiftly through the trees, but Merlin was out of his line of sight. He didn't know who this was, but _no one_ just came and took Merlin right under his nose. 

The figure was darting back and forth, dodging trees and scaling easily over rocks. They were getting farther and farther ahead of Arthur, frustration making him clumsy. Let out an angry shout, he tripped over a tree root and hit the ground hard. Spitting, he scrambled to his feet and swung his head every way. 

Merlin was gone.

Growling, he refused to let them get away. He couldn't just let him _disappear_ , not now. But even Arthur knew that he couldn't go around in the dark, alone. No one knew where he was and he could just as easily fall pray to another beast that roamed the forest. Angry and at a loss, Arthur returned to camp. The looks he got from the other knights made his gut twist with guilt because Merlin was _gone_ and he wasn't able to do anything.

"Where's-?" Gwaine started, but Arthur cut him off with a look and collapsed on a log beside the fire. 

"Arthur," Leon said cautiously. "What happened?" 

"Merlin was taken."

They all burst into speech, Percival even leaping to his feet. 

"Taken?" 

"Where is he?" 

"Arthur, explain!" 

"What happened to Merlin?" 

They all often teased and made jokes at Merlin's expense, but that didn't mean they didn't care for the man. In fact, all of them were friends with him and cared for him if their reactions were anything to go by. Feeling worse than ever, Arthur attempted to recount what he'd seen happen. 

Frowning, Elyan sheathed the sword he'd drawn. "You didn't see their face at all?" 

"No," Arthur snapped. "They were covered." 

"And they just dissapeared?" Gwaine asked, a spoonful of stew still suspended halfway from his bowl to his mouth. "Just...poof?" 

" _Yes_." Arthur said, rubbing his temples. "They left no trace." 

"Well what are we sitting around for?" Percival demanded. 

"It's too dark to see," Leon reasoned. "We wouldn't be able to find them." Face drawn, the giant of a man sat back down. 

"So..." Leon said slowly. "We just wait?" 

"I guess so." Arthur murmured. "But," he quickly said. "We're looking at first light." 

They all agreed and settled down for the night. Sleep didn't come for most of them, though. They were all on edge, either thinking about who'd been taken or if whoever had taken him would return. 

Most of them were awake long before the sun rose. 

With false cheerfulness, Gwaine announced that it was time to rise and shine. Arthur was unexpectedly reminded of Merlin waking him reluctantly from his warm bed. They all quickly packed their things, the previous game forgotten in the light of what'd transpired the night before. All any of them could do was think about setting out to track down their missing friend. 

But there was nothing. 

No tracks, no footprints...no nothing to clue them in on where Merlin might be. As the sun steadily rose above them, their searching branched in increasingly wide paths away from where Arthur had been chasing the mysterious thing before. 

Despite the disheartening reality that there was really nothing to go off of, they weren't giving up. The idea of leaving, of Merlin being stuck with some monster was the least appealing option they had. There was no way they'd just abandon him. Desperation was filling them, causing them to grow more and more daring with their searching. Like screaming into the woods. 

"Merlin! _Meeeerliiiiin_." 

"Merlin? Can you hear us?"

"Come out, come out wherever you are! C'mon, Merlin!" 

The voices of the knights carried to a small hill that had an even smaller cave nestled at the bottom of it, tall grass obscuring the entrance and the moistness inside giving the air an uncomfortable chill. It was about five feet tall, big enough to hold about three people if they squished together while standing. It was in here that Merlin slumbered peacefully under the guard of the dark creature under the cloak. It patiently waiting for it's mistress to return, watching over the young warlock just like she'd instructed him to. It was eager to show her how it'd had not failed, that it was capable of doing what she willed of it. Feeling happy, it hummed a happy song very off-key and rested one of it's large clawed hands atop the dark haired man as he gustily snuffled in his sleep, the large appendage more like a paw than a hand as it swept through his dark curls. It hoped she'd get there soon. 

It was getting rather hungry. 

So, when the soft sound of skin brushing aside the tall stalks of grass reached it's ears, the thing let out a happy wet noise from the back of it's throat. It slither over to her, no feet could be seen under it's long cloak. Hovering by the newcomer's side, it watched her expectantly. A hand reached out and touched the top of it's head.

"Did you miss me?" A hoarse female voice asked. The woman's frizzy braid and wrinkled dress gave her a wild and rather unhinged air about her. Her eyes cast over to the man sleeping in the corner. "You did well," she murmured much to it's delight. "Go." she whispered. Almost bouncing, the figure flew from the dark cave and dissolved out of sight. 

Morgana calmly strode over to Merlin's side, her heeled boots sinking gently into the dirt beneath her. Kneeling besides him, she gently turned him over and surveyed his relaxed face. "Long time, no see Merlin." she said, a smirk curling along her chapped lips. Smoothing the fabric of her dress under her, she sat down with her hip pressed slightly into Merlin's ribs. She rested an arm along his side, his body unconsciously curling closer. Almost like a mother unto her child, Morgana began to gently rub Merlin's head with a smile. The shouting suddenly reached a new height, the sounds of her brother and his followers coming closer and closer. With a click of her tongue, Morgana waved a hand to silence them. 

The gentle quiet pressed in like a warm blanket and Merlin slept on.

Leaning forwards, Morgana pressed her mouth to the top of his head, not exactly a kiss. "Don't worry, Merlin." she murmured into his hear. "You'll see your prince soon." Cupping his face with one hand, Morgana's eyes flashed gold. Work finished, she rose to her feet and made her way out. 

Now alone, Merlin did not wake. In fact, he was so deeply asleep it wasn't until past noon did he stir at all. 

Groaning lightly, he rolled over in his sleep and was unaware of the sweaty and tired men leaning against each other just a few feet away from his secluded nook, their spirits low as they began to give up. Drinking from his water pouch, Arthur cursed the sun above and the moon the night before that's refused to give enough light to search sooner. He opened his mouth to say that they would keep going, that he had to be _somewhere_ when a small noise made him pause. "Wait," he said, holding up a hand to shut up the others. "Do you hear that?" 

They all froze and listened, the wind gently brushing through the grass. A small moan could be heard and all of them tensed. "Do you think...?" Gwaine asked, too fearful to truly hope. Arthur didn't let his emotions show as he nodded once, scooting closer to where he'd heard it come from. The others followed close behind, all of them silent as they strained their ears. Quiet shuffling could be heard as Arthur dragged his hand in front of him across the hill's slope, stealthily creeping forwards. His hand suddenly passed through thin air, making him stumble and the knights behind him jump. Feeling slightly disorientated, Arthur moved aside the tall grass he'd fallen on and peered into a dim cave. Motioning for the other's to stop, Arthur got back up and slowly entered the cave. 

"Hello?" he called in a low voice, sword in hand. "Merlin, is that you?" There was no reply, but that didn't stop him. His boot came down on a stick, the sudden noise sounding strangely loud in the quiet. There was movement in the far corner and Arthur squinted, seeing something scrambling up and pressing itself against the wall. 

"Wh-who's there?" A small, quivering voice called. "Wha-what's going on?" 

"Merlin!" he exclaimed, relieved. He ran forwards, dropping his blade and kneeling by the cowering man. It didn't quite connect with him as he neared that the way Merlin's eyes darted around and how he shook with fear at Arthur's nearness seemed off. 

"N-no!" he said, sounding close to tears. "Please! I..." he trailed off with a small sob

Arthur frowned, confused. Why was Merlin leaning away like that? His eyes were so wide and so scared. 

"I c-can't see!"


End file.
